Cape Town - While Mayco member for housing Malusi Booi has been fired with immediate effect, the Cape Argus has reliably learned that the ousted official should brace himself for a dramatic day today.
City of Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis announced Booi’s dismissal on Thursday after receiving an updated brief by police about a multimillion-rand tender fraud investigation allegedly implicating Booi.
A person privy to the investigation told the Cape Argus that “there is movement (today) on the matter” hinting that SAPS would be involved in the latest developments.
Police hadn't responded at the time of writing.
This after the DA held a special meeting about his political future last night.
The DA held a marathon meeting last night, where the party's provincial executive resolved to write to Booi, stating the DA's intention to suspend him from party activities.
After the meeting, DA Western Cape leader Tertuis Simmers said: “Councillor Booi will be given an opportunity to provide reason why he shouldn’t be suspend whereafter a final decision will be taken after consideration of his inputs.
“We respect the steps already taken by the mayor of Cape Town to protect the integrity of the city and the DA.”
Hill-Lewis initially suspended Booi on March 16 after cops raided his council office and confiscated laptops and equipment in a blitz related to the probe.
The Cape Argus reported recently that the SAPS blitz searched the offices of Booi and that of an unnamed police officer.
Sources close to the investigation peg the alleged tender fraud at R700 million and they claim that a report, which Hill-Lewis has kept under wraps, estimates the alleged fraud at R349m.
“This removal from mayco follows an updated briefing from SAPS regarding progress on their investigation into alleged fraud and corruption,” Hill-Lewis said yesterday.
After the March 16 raid, Booi went to ground and his phone went straight to voicemail. His phone remained on voicemail all day on Thursday.
“While councillor Booi has not been charged, the matters under investigation are to my mind serious enough to warrant immediate action to protect the integrity of our government. I have further assured the SAPS of the City’s full support in the ongoing investigation,” Hill-Lewis said.
Simmers said the party respected the steps taken by Hill-Lewis and that a meeting was scheduled to take place last night.
Cape Coloured Congress councillor Fadiel Adams said Hill-Lewis could have acted 14 months ago when his party warned him about this.
“Booi isn’t a decision-maker in the City. He’s merely a political appointment. We want to know who made the decisions and who looked the other way. We want the administrators to tell us at whose behest they were acting,” Adams said.
“Politicians are trying to cover up administrative fraud and we won’t fall for it. The mayor needs to stop cleaning parks and start cleaning house.”
GOOD Party councillor Suzette Little welcomed Booi’s axing, but called for all criminally-accused DA councillors to be shown equal treatment.
She said the decision to sack Booi once again raised the issue of fraud-accused DA councillor Nora Grose as she was being defended at the Bellville Commercial Crimes Court on the taxpayers’ dime.
Anti-crime activist Hanief Loonat, who initiated the investigation and approached Hill-Lewis with the allegations, was left fuming after Hill-Lewis allegedly ignored his initial complaint about the alleged fraud.
“Is the mayor embarrassed by this as he can no longer defend and protect the exposing of corruption in the City?
“He made me a liar by denying corruption. Will he now release the report that he thought would never get to the bottom of the corruption?
“The DA are masters at denying any accusation of fraud. They have a professional team that can divert and turn any accusation into a lie. I promised that his lies were going to be exposed.”
Loonat wondered whether Hill-Lewis would face DA charges “for defeating the ends of justice”.
Hill-Lewis stressed that the City had a zero-tolerance approach to fraud and corruption and added that he wouldn’t hesitate “to act in the interests of good governance”.
Mayco member James Vos continues as acting mayco member for human settlements.